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                  <p class="p_Heading1"><span class="f_Heading1">Connector Styles</span></p>



  
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                <p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">Connectors come in five different routing styles:</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="163" bgcolor="#e3e6ed" style="width:163px; background-color:#e3e6ed; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tableheader"><span class="f_Tableheader">Style</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="670" bgcolor="#e3e6ed" style="width:670px; background-color:#e3e6ed; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tableheader"><span class="f_Tableheader">Description</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="163" style="width:163px; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext" style="font-weight: bold;">Direct</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="670" style="width:670px; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext">A straight line from element A to element B. You can move the line (back and forward, up and down) to a limited degree.</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="163" style="width:163px; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext" style="font-weight: bold;">Auto Routing</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="670" style="width:670px; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext">A vertical and horizontal route from A to B with 90-degree bends. You can move the line to improve the route, but the location and number of bends are not configurable.</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="163" style="width:163px; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext" style="font-weight: bold;">Bezier</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="670" style="width:670px; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext">A smooth curved line from A to B. Bezier style is directly available for Data Flow diagram connectors, Mind Mapping connectors, State Flows, State Transitions, Object Flows, and Control Flows.</span></p>
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<td valign="bottom" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Note:</span></p>
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<td bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="background-color:#f7f7ff;"><p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_TiporNoteText">You can convert other types of relationship to Bezier style by assigning the Tagged Value </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText" style="font-weight: bold;">_Bezier</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText">, with an integer value other than </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText" style="font-weight: bold;">0</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText">. However, some relationship types (such as Aggregate) do not accommodate this style very well.</span></p>
<p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_TiporNoteText">This Tagged Value over-rides the value of the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Style</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> field in the connector </span><span class="f_UIControl"><a href="connectiondetails.htm">Properties</a></span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> dialog.</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="163" style="width:163px; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext" style="font-weight: bold;">Custom Line</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="670" style="width:670px; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext">The most flexible option. You can add one or more line points and bend and push the line into virtually any shape, using the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Toggle Line Point at Cursor</span><span class="f_Tabletext"> option.</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="163" style="width:163px; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext" style="font-weight: bold;">Tree Style - Vertical</span></p>
<p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext" style="font-weight: bold;">Tree Style - Horizontal</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="670" style="width:670px; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext">A line from element A to B with two right-angle bends, and the end points fixed to selected locations on the elements (Vertical or Horizontal). </span></p>
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<td valign="bottom" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Note:</span></p>
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<td bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="background-color:#f7f7ff;"><p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_TiporNoteText">You can convert relationships to Tree style by assigning the Tagged Value </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText" style="font-weight: bold;">_TreeStyle</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText">, with a value of </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText" style="font-weight: bold;">H</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> (Horizontal) or </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText" style="font-weight: bold;">V</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> (Vertical).</span></p>
<p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_TiporNoteText">This Tagged Value over-rides the value of the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Style</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> field in the connector </span><span class="f_UIControl"><a href="connectiondetails.htm">Properties</a></span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> dialog.</span></p>
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<td valign="top" width="163" style="width:163px; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext" style="font-weight: bold;">Lateral - Vertical</span></p>
<p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext" style="font-weight: bold;">Lateral - Horizontal</span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="670" style="width:670px; border: solid 1px #000000;"><p class="p_Tabletext"><span class="f_Tabletext">A line from element A to B with a single right-angle bend, and the end points fixed to selected locations on the elements (Vertical or Horizontal).</span></p>
<div style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; margin: 4px 2px 4px 2px;"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="0" style="border: none; border-spacing:0px;">
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<td valign="bottom" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Note:</span></p>
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<td bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="background-color:#f7f7ff;"><p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_TiporNoteText">You can convert relationships to Lateral style by assigning the Tagged Value </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText" style="font-weight: bold;">_TreeStyle</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText">, with a value of </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText" style="font-weight: bold;">LH</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> (lateral-horizontal) or </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText" style="font-weight: bold;">LV</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> (lateral vertical).</span></p>
<p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_TiporNoteText">This Tagged Value over-rides the value of the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Style</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> field in the connector </span><span class="f_UIControl"><a href="connectiondetails.htm">Properties</a></span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> dialog.</span></p>
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<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">Set the Connector Style</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">To set the connector style, follow the steps below:</span></p>
<ol style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 48px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li value=1><span class="f_NumberedList">Right-click on the connector to change; the context menu displays.</span></li>
<li value=2><span class="f_NumberedList">Select the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Line Style </span><span class="f_NumberedList">option.</span></li>
<li value=3><span class="f_NumberedList">From the submenu, select the required style - Direct, Auto Routing, Custom, Tree or Lateral (or Bezier, where appropriate).</span></li>
</ol>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">Alternatively:</span></p>
<ol style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 48px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li value=1><span class="f_NumberedList">Select the connector to change.</span></li>
<li value=2><span class="f_NumberedList">Press the following keys to change the style:</span></li>
</ol>
<ul style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 65px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Ctrl]+[Shift]+[D]</span><span class="f_Bulletlist3"> for Direct</span></li>
<li><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Ctrl]+[Shift]+[A]</span><span class="f_Bulletlist3"> for Auto Routing</span></li>
<li><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Ctrl]+[Shift]+[C] </span><span class="f_Bulletlist3">for Custom</span></li>
<li><span class="f_Bulletlist3">(</span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Ctrl]+[Shift]+[Z] </span><span class="f_Bulletlist3">for Bezier, where appropriate).</span></li>
</ul>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">Bend Connectors</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">To bend a connector to quickly and easily route connectors in the required layout, follow the steps below: </span></p>
<ol style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 48px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li value=1><span class="f_NumberedList">Right-click on the connector; the context menu displays.</span></li>
<li value=2><span class="f_NumberedList">Set the line style to Custom Line (</span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Ctrl]</span><span class="f_NumberedList">+</span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Shift]</span><span class="f_NumberedList">+</span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[C]</span><span class="f_NumberedList">); this enables the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Bend Line at Cursor</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> option in the context menu.</span></li>
<li value=3><span class="f_NumberedList">Click on the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Bend Line at Cursor</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> option to add a line point.</span></li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: left; text-indent: -21px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px 48px;"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="0" style="border: none; border-spacing:0px;">
<tr style="text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;">
<td valign="bottom" width="955" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="width:955px; background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Note:</span></p>
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<td width="955" bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="width:955px; background-color:#f7f7ff;"><p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_TiporNoteText">Right-clicking a line point displays the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Straighten Line at Cursor </span><span class="f_TiporNoteText">option, which you can use to remove the line point.</span></p>
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<ol style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 48px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li value=4><span class="f_NumberedList">Using the mouse, drag the line point to the required position.</span></li>
</ol>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">Alternatively:</span></p>
<ol style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 48px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li value=1><span class="f_NumberedList">Hold down </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Ctrl]</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> or </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Shift]</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> and click on a point on the connector to create a line point.</span></li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: left; text-indent: -21px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px 48px;"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="0" style="border: none; border-spacing:0px;">
<tr style="text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;">
<td valign="bottom" width="955" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="width:955px; background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Note:</span></p>
</td>
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<tr style="text-align:left;">
<td width="955" bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="width:955px; background-color:#f7f7ff;"><p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Ctrl]+</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText">click also removes a line point.</span></p>
</td>
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</table>
</div>
<ol style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 48px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li value=2><span class="f_NumberedList">Using the mouse, drag the line point to the required position.</span></li>
</ol>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="linepoints.png" width="537" height="326" border="0" alt="LinePoints"></p>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">Tidy Line Angles<a name="tidy"></a></span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">To tidy line angles (custom connector), follow the steps below:</span></p>
<ol style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 48px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li value=1><span class="f_NumberedList">Right-click on the connector; the context menu displays.</span></li>
<li value=2><span class="f_NumberedList">Click on the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Tidy Line Angles</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> menu option; this nudges the custom line in horizontal and vertical increments, saving you the time of trying to get a good layout manually.</span></li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: left; text-indent: -21px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px 48px;"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="0" style="border: none; border-spacing:0px;">
<tr style="text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;">
<td valign="bottom" width="955" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="width:955px; background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Note:</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="text-align:left;">
<td width="955" bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="width:955px; background-color:#f7f7ff;"><p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_TiporNoteText">You can set the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Tidy Line Angles</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> option to operate by default; click on the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Tools | Options</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> menu option to display the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Options</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> dialog, and select the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Diagram Behavior</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> page.</span></p>
<p class="p_TiporNoteinnumlist"><img src="tidylineangles.png" width="162" height="65" border="0" alt="TidyLineAngles"></p>
</td>
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</table>
</div>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">Suppress Line Segments<a name="suppress"></a></span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">To suppress individual line segments, follow the steps below:</span></p>
<ol style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 48px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li value=1><span class="f_NumberedList">Right-click on the connector; the context menu displays.</span></li>
<li value=2><span class="f_NumberedList">Set the line style to Custom Line (</span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Ctrl]</span><span class="f_NumberedList">+</span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[Shift]</span><span class="f_NumberedList">+</span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">[C]</span><span class="f_NumberedList">), this enables the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Suppress Line Segment</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> option in the context menu.</span></li>
<li value=3><span class="f_NumberedList">Click on the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Suppress Line Segment</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> option to suppress a line between two bend points.</span></li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: left; text-indent: -21px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; margin: 5px 0px 0px 48px;"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="0" style="border: none; border-spacing:0px;">
<tr style="text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom;">
<td valign="bottom" width="955" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="width:955px; background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Note:</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="text-align:left;">
<td width="955" bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="width:955px; background-color:#f7f7ff;"><p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_TiporNoteText">The segment you right-clicked is suppressed.</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<ol style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 48px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li value=4><span class="f_NumberedList">To show the segment again, right-click on the line and click on the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Show All Line Segments</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> option.</span></li>
</ol>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">One application for this is to represent the continuation of flow when your diagram crosses the page boundary marker in the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Diagram View</span><span class="f_BodyText">. When you suppress the line segment that crosses the boundary, the link name (connector properties) displays at both ends of the hidden segment. When you print the diagram on multiple pages, the link name identifies the connection apparently broken by the page boundary.</span></p>




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